Process of treating vegetable or artificial fibers or fiber material



Patented Sept. 19, 1933 PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF TREATING VEGETABLE R ARTIFICIAL FIBERS 0R FIBER MATERIAL Morita Freiberger,-Bcrlin, Germany No Drawing. Application May 20, 1932, Serial No. 612,653, and in 1927 Germany December 4 Claims. (01. a- -2o) I have filed applications in Germany #F.65,050 Dec. 23, 1927 and.#G.79,463.

My invention relates to improvements in the process of treating vegetable or artificial fibers or fiber material, the treating medium used in the said process and the process of manufacturing the said medium. For treating textile matter of vegetable origin or artificial fiber material frequently alkaline baths are used, for example for cleaning raw or half-cleaned fibers or fiber material, soiled domestic linen, for bucking and mercerizing. f

It has been found that particularly caustic alkali solutions moisten such uncleaned fiber material, in an irregular and incomplete way, the solutions being in this respect less effective than carbonates, silicates and the like; If the cor centration or temperature of such solutions is increased, the fiber material is liable to be weak- 2o enegi. Therefore the cleaning effect of the alkalis and particularly caustic alkalis is objectionable, and the use of soap or soap substitutes in lieu of the said alkalis, and also the simultaneous use of suitable wetting media is objectionable.

' 5 The substitutes for alkalis are expensive as compared to the eficiency thereof and the necessary amount.

The object of the improvements is to use products of decomposition of albumen (protein) as additions to alkaline baths. 1 have found that thereby the objections enumerated above are obviated. As compared to other products heretofore proposed for the same purpose, the said products of decomposition can. be obtained at low cost, and even small amounts thereof have an exceedingly favourable effect on the alkaline treating baths. The uncleaned goods are readily and uniformly wetted andpermeatedby the said decomposition products, a fact which is based .140 on physical) effects, viz the increase of the colloidal character and the emulsifying and dispersive power of the baths with relation to the impurities by means of the saidprotective colloids. The said products assist-the purifying and swelling action of the alkaline baths, which may contain soaps or oleic sulfonates, and thereby with a reduced consumption of chemical matter the same efiect and with the same consumption a better and more speedy effect is obtained. Thus.

56 directly and indirectly the possibility of the weakening' of the fiber material is reduced, and 'the efficiency is increased though, the intensity of the treatment'is weakened, Further the foaming of the treating baths is aifected.

In connection with baths for cleaning, steeping, removing fat and size, and also when washing domestic linen and when bucking vegetable textiles, where in addition to soda caustic alkalis and soap, products similar to soap and other preparations are used, even with hard water better results are obtained and the consumption of the chemical matter whichj'might injure the fiber is reduced, and the process requires less time, steam and work. By replacing a part of the alkalis by products of decomposition of albumen the fiber is spared, particularly when energetically treating the same with caustic alkali and hot baths, which is particularly conspicuous in bucking. Further, the goods which have thus been bucked require less oxidizing media for full bleaching. Mercerizatlon is carried out with lower concentration of the lye and more uniformly, while the efiect is the same. This result is particularly conspicuous in connection with raw materials.

Another reason for the saving of the fiber material is found in the fact that by the addition of the albumen decomposition products a reducing property is imparted to the alkaline solutions, so that the formation of oxy-cellulose so is prevented in a more effective way.

According to the object aimed at I use up to 20 grammes of albumen perliter of the bath,

which albumen has before been decomposed by known methods to, transformation products of 5 lower molecularity. But the composition of the bath may be varied in accordance with the degree of the decomposition of the albuminous matter. I

In the manufacture of such decomposition products I use animal orvegetable albuminous bodies as raw materials, such as albumen, casein, glue, hide, meat; hair, fruits, seeds, gluten'and .the like. The decomposition is carried out by known methods by means of alkalis, acids, oxydation media, pectases, steam, etc. The results of the decomposition are albumosea-peptones peptides, polymerization products, esters and amino-acids. when sufliciently decomposed the said products are soluble in water and'non-sensitive -against alkalis andvalkaline earths, and they have a low sensitiveness as against acids and an increase of the temperature of watery solution.

4 For the present purpose albuminous bodies may be used which have been more or less decomposed. But the. best results are obtained when the products in diluted solution to which caustic alkali and a few'drops of diluted cupric I sulfate solution are added, still have a dyeing 110 lye.

effect and give the so-called biuret-reaction. Further good results are obtained with decomposition products which are related to the aforesaid products as to the degree of the decomposition, though the efiiciency is less conspicuous, but it acts in the same sense and has a protective property. The last stages of the decomposition of the albuminous bodies, such as the amino-acids, are less suitable for the present process, and they have only a very small effect.

For convenience in defining the invention it will be understood that the expression primary decomposition products" is intended to describe such products as are formed by the decomposition of albuminous substances or proteins in which the decomposition has not proceeded to an extent suflicient to develop amino acids in any substantial amount, for example, albumoses, peptones, peptides, etc.

Example 1.For bucking 1000 kilogrammes of cotton fabric from which the size has been removed I use 18 kilogrammes of caustic soda, 900 grammes of soda powder, and 2 kilogrammes of casein which before has been decomposed by short boiling with 8 kilogrammes of 15% soda The chemical matter is dissolved in 2200 liters of water.

Example 2.Raw cotton yarn is mercerized with cold soda lye of 19 B. to which, per liter,

5! B. and water and a temperature of 40 C.

thereafter they are washed 45 minutes with 15 liters of soda lye of 5 B. and water of 40 C., 2 liters of soap solution (1:15) and 200 grammes of albumen decomposed as stated in Example 1. Finally they are bleached and washed 10 minutes with oxygen.

Example 4.For preparing raw cotton fabric for dyeing, the said fabric is first freed of size, thereafter it is boiled half an hour open and without pressure, in a known machine such as a vat, a jigger, a continue machine, with a solution which contains, per liter, 6 grammes of soda powder and gramme of glue which before has been decomposed by heating with diluted hydrochloric acid so far that the biuret reac tion gives a violet to pink colour.

I claim:

1. A process of treating vegetable fiber material, which comprises applying to the material an alkaline treating liquid containing primary decomposition products of albuminous substances.

2. A process of improving the wetting properties of alkaline baths for treating vegetable fiber material, which comprises introducing in such baths primary decomposition products of albuminous substances.

3. A medium for treating vegetable fiber material, which comprises an alkaline treating liquid including a primary decomposition product of a protein.

4. A medium for treating vegetable fiber material which comprises an alkaline treating liquid including a partial decomposition product of an albuminous substance selected from the group consisting of albumoses, peptones, peptides, polymerization products, esters, and amino acids.

MORITZ FREIBERGER. 

